Newly appointed Stanislaus County Chief Executive Officer Stan Risen was welcomed to his new position at a public reception Tuesday evening as he gets ready to take up the task before him of helming the county’s business.

Joined by several county officials and city leaders from around Stanislaus, Risen and his wife Cheryl took the reception as an opportunity to meet and greet the attendees.

Many of the faces were familiar to Risen, however, as he has worked for the county for the past 26 years. Having served as the interim CEO prior to being officially selected by the Board of Supervisors, Risen has a myriad of experience with serving the county and is looking forward to continue doing so.

“I am absolutely excited to start my new position as CEO,” said Risen. “Stanislaus is a wonderful place to work, and I have a great Board of Supervisors to work with. I’m also looking forward to the wonderful opportunities that lie ahead.”

Having started his career with Stanislaus County in 1987, Risen initially began as an appraiser before being promoted to a position in the Chief Executive Office in 1999. In 2005, Risen was promoted to the Assistant Executive Office, alongside having served on the Ceres City Council for 11 years.

Risen was joined by both members of the public and local leaders including County Supervisor Bill O’Brien, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson, Executive Director of the Family Justice Center Tom Ciccarelli, Supervisor and former Senator Dick Monteith, Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, and many others.

“There’s a lot of wonderful people here this evening,” said Stanislaus County spokesman David Jones. “It’s been a great opportunity for people to come and meet our new CEO personally.”

In his new position, Risen will oversee 3,900 employees and the annual county budget of more than $1 billion.